Searches were conducted at the premises of accused persons including public servants, private persons, middlemen, etc at Kanpur and Delhi which led to recovery of cash Rs.58 Lakh and several incriminating documents including diaries, pendrives and documents of properties worth Crores.

New Delhi/Kanpur (Face2News)

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) reported to have arrested a Commissioner (an IRS Officer of 1986 Batch), GST & Central Excise, Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh); two Superintendents & an official, all working in GST & Central Excise Commissionrate, Kanpur and five private persons including Director of a private firm based at Kanpur, middlemen & others in an alleged bribery case.

GST Commissioner Sansar Chand

The CBI claimed Kanpur GST Commissioner Sansar Chand was running a bribery racket and used to collect quarterly and monthly payments for giving protection to industrialists in the city.

Apart from Sansar Chand, two GST superintendents Ajay Srivastava and Rajeev Singh were also arrested from their residences in upscale Sarvodaya Nagar and Kakadeo localities. Another GST superintendent Aman Shah and Chand’s wife Avinash Kaur were named in the FIR but are yet to be arrested.

GST Commissioner wife Avinash Kaur has been named in the case for allegedly receiving expensive gifts from industrialists.

The CBI’s anti-corruption wing have charged all of them under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and sections 7, 11, 12 of Prevention of Corruption Act (taking gratification by corrupt and illegal means with active involvement of private persons).

It was alleged that the Commissioner was taking periodic updates from his superintendents, regarding receipt of the illegal gratification from various private parties. It was further alleged that these pertained to either monthly or quarterly payments for not taking action by the Central Excise Department on such private parties and further such collection also pertained, on a case-to-case basis, to the assistance required by various private parties by the Central Excise Department. CBI laid a trap and apprehended the accused who had received the bribe of Rs. 1.5 Lakh on behalf of Commissioner and also the private accused who gave the said bribe to public servants. The bribe money was also recovered.

Searches were conducted at the premises of accused persons including public servants, private persons, middlemen, etc at Kanpur and Delhi which led to recovery of cash Rs.58 Lakh and several incriminating documents including diaries, pendrives and documents of properties worth Crores.